Trying Times

All my life I’ve heard my mother talk about the hardships her family endured during the 1930s Great Depression. A few years later they dealt with the shortages and rationing of goods caused by World War II. Do the math, and you get sixteen difficult years. I thought of her and those times when I ventured to the nearest big box store earlier this week and found the shelves mostly empty. A line of people stretched the length of the building waiting on a pallet of toilet paper to be unloaded. In the 1930s people waited in line for a cup of soup and slice of bread, their only meal for the day.

My mother’s age group has been described as the Greatest Generation, and she calls herself a tough old bird. Strength, faith, and a can-do spirit got them through many rough years. We can get through this crisis the same way. Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.”

With many places closed, what are you doing with your extra time at home?